Cyclist badly injured in Carlsbad crash

CARLSBAD  An 18-year-old bicyclist suffered serious head injuries when he ran a red light at a Carlsbad intersection and was struck by a pickup, police said Thursday.

The cyclist was not wearing a helmet, Carlsbad police Lt. Matt Magro said.

The collision occurred about 5 p.m. Wednesday. The cyclist was eastbound on Chestnut Avenue and, according to witness statements to police, he ran a red light at El Camino Real.

Three drivers in three southbound lanes started forward on their green light. The drivers in the right and middle lanes quickly stopped to avoid the bicyclist, but the pickup driver in the left lane didn’t see him and kept going, Magro said.

The pickup struck the rider and knocked him off his bike. He was airlifted to a hospital with serious head injuries, Magro said.